Postcard Photo Circa 1909
Historical Fountain in Village Park
Mayville NY
Post Card Photo Credit to Devon Taylor, Mayville Town Historian
The park and the fountain belonged to Chautauqua County at one time so the county maintained and stored the fountain, in winter. Eventually, the Village of Mayville took ownership of the park in 2007. The park had never been named so a contest was held naming the park, the Village Green.
Sadly, in 1971 the fountain was the victim of a fight that spilled over into the fountain. Robert Booth, Professor of Art SUNY Fredonia was contracted in September 1998 to restore the fountain figures and delivered it on May 11, 1999. During the restoration he made needed repairs at his studio which included remaking the umbrella, repairing the base upon which the boy and girl stand and parts of the figurines. His contract in Mayville was with Jim Wright, Deputy Director Chautauqua County Central Services. There was an official re-dedication on Thursday, May 27, 1999 at 11:45 a.m. In 2007, the fountain sustained additional damage and Booth was asked to repair it, again, in August. At the time, plans were for the statue to be lighted and have a security camera "watching it at all times from there on out". Booth thought the cast zinc statue dated back to the 1880s. No records of its purchase have ever been found so it can't be dated, for certain.
The Chautauqua County Historical Society received a donation in 1990 of a similar statue fountain. Their statue may have been manufactured by the Joseph W. Fiske Iron Works of New York City, circa 1868. Joseph Winn Fiske, founder (1832-1903) was the prominent American statue manufacturer in the second half of the nineteenth century.
These statues are believed to be titled "Boy and Girl Fountain" or "Out in the Rain". The finial of the umbrella is the spout for the fountain and the water trickles over the edges of the umbrella. When these statues were manufactured it was seen as a "sign of prosperity" for any community to display.
Chautauqua County Historical Society
Westfield NY
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